Jennifer Bowness’s Story

Kensington, Prince Edward IslandJuly 20, 2017

When
Jennifer Bowness’s mother, Cheryl Clark, started to feel unwell in late 2016,
she attributed her lack of appetite, fatigue and bloating to stress, her hiatus
hernia, and the fact that she was simply getting older.

Cheryl was
eventually diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer in January, and her family
was told she would have to leave their home in Kensington, PE, for treatment in
Halifax, NS. “It was a lot to take in,” says Jennifer. “She never left the
hospital after she was diagnosed.”

Ovarian
cancer is the most fatal women’s cancer in Canada. There is no reliable
screening test to detect it, and symptoms (if any) can be mistaken for a range
of other health issues.

After a
rapid decline, Cheryl passed away on March 8, a mere seven weeks after her
diagnosis. Jennifer, the second youngest of her four daughters, said on the day
before their mother died, her family spoke with the gynecologic oncology team
and genetic counsellors in Halifax and agreed to pursue genetic testing.

While all
women are at risk for developing ovarian cancer, the risk is higher if there is
a genetic predisposition, such as a BRCA gene mutation.

“We obtained
the results approximately two weeks ago that mom tested negative for the nine most
common gene [mutations] linked to ovarian cancer,” says Jennifer. The news
brought a measure of relief to the family, but because a family history of the
disease is also a risk factor, Jennifer says she and her sisters will meet with
their family doctors as well as the gynecological oncology team in Halifax to
discuss options for further preventative action for themselves, such as surgery
to remove their ovaries and/or fallopian tubes.

The most recent picture of Cheryl Clark with her daughters

“It’s scary
for us because we are at a higher risk, but there is no reliable testing for
the disease,” she says. “We really see the need for more research.”

In an effort
to take positive action, Jennifer and her younger sister Jillian Forbes have
banded together to organize the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope in
Charlottetown this year. Proceeds will be used to
provide support, increase awareness and fund vital research into ovarian
cancer.

“As a family
we’ve really become passionate about doing whatever we can to help. We saw the
suffering that mom went through and we don’t want anyone else to have to experience
that. So whatever we can do to help, we want to do it,” Jennifer says.

The
Clark family: Including Cheryl and Donald Clark with their daughters (from
oldest to youngest), Alana, Ambyr, Jennifer and Jillian. (Daughters Jennifer
and Jillian are in the floral dresses). They also have 7 grandchildren (5
grandaughters and 2 grandsons)

The sisters
have reached out to other families in their region who have also been touched
by ovarian cancer, to get involved and help with fundraising efforts. Their own
extended family will have a team on Walk day, walking in honour of their late
mother.

“I think my
father will be very emotional on Walk day – which of course will make things even
more emotional for us,” Jennifer says. “If mom was still here with us, she
would have been helping us to organize
this event. I know she would be 100% supportive. She had a big heart.”

The Ovarian
Cancer Canada Walk of Hope will take place on September 9 at Victoria Park in
Charlottetown, and on September 10 in more than 35 communities across Canada. Register today.

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